Social Media Users Need World Views

We should all be bold enough to embrace and examine our world views, says Trey Pennington.

Trey spoke on “From Stranger to Advocate: Thriving in the Brave New World of Marketing” during Media Women of South Carolina’s “Social Media Smarts” conference. As users of social media, we need to keep in mind three world views: possessions, priority and profits.

The first world view focuses on possessions; specifically, digital rights management versus free software. He talked about the viral video of Jill and Kevin’s wedding on June 18, 2009. They played a copyrighted song for public performance. They recorded the performance. Then they posted it on YouTube. Today it has more than 64 million views.

The song was “Forever” by Chris Brown. The record label could have sued, but had they adopted that view, they would have missed to the opportunity of having the song become so wildly popular, Trey said. In fact, he noted, that Billboard now lists “Forever” has one of the 100 most significant songs of the decade.

The second world view focuses on priority. Too often, Trey said, “Social media is about screaming messages.” He noted that in working with politicians, he often hears, “I just have to get my message out.”

But Trey says politicians need to stop. “You do not need to get your message out. That may actually be your problem,” he says. “What you need to do is get a message in.” He recommends asking people what they want to know and then using social media to turn that message out again.

The third world view focuses on profits and maximizing shareholder wealth. “If you take maximizing profits to social media, you will be greatly disappointed,” Trey says. “Social media is about having human needs met, not about maximizing profits.” He recommends not using social media as a tool of efficiency, but rather as a tool of effectiveness in meeting the needs of your neighbors.

“When you shine the spotlight on others, you affirm them,” Trey says. “Use social media to demonstrate that you are listening.”